How Canadian civil society and civil society organizations can advance climate justice
Date and time
3 December, 2024 | 12pm Pacific Time
About
Western environmentalism and its climate movements have been criticized for being colonial, extractive, patriarchal, and exclusionary. Given this, how can Canadians wanting to be good stewards of the land contribute to climate / environmental efforts in ways that are just, ethical, equitable, and effective?
Come learn from three climate activists working with Indigenous- and locally-led, anti-racist, and collaborative movements. Discover how you can support climate action in ways that honour diverse approaches, knowledge, and expertise outside Western traditions.
We’ll explore what effective solidarity and allyship look like within these movements and discuss actionable steps Canadians and Canadian Civil Society Organizations can take to support climate goals rooted in justice, equity, and respect, even when time, resources, or capacity may be limited.
Speakers
Liliane Pari Umuhoza, Moderator
Liliane, originally from Rwanda, moved to Vancouver three years ago, where she earned a Master’s in Public Policy and Global Affairs from the University of British Columbia (UBC). She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Juniata College in Pennsylvania, USA. Currently, she is a consultant program manager at Planet Women, a U.S. based organization promoting gender equity in forest landscape restoration and supporting women environmental leaders at the grassroots level.
Ghada Sasa
Ghada Sasa is a Palestinian activist-scholar, completing her PhD in Political Science (International Relations) at McMaster University, researching Israeli green colonialism. She uncovers Israel’s appropriation of environmentalism to colonize Palestine, as well as Palestinian memories, to advocate for decolonization and the dismantlement of the human-nature binary. Since 2014, she has been heavily engaged in Palestine solidarity organizing while advocating for the liberation of women, queer and Black folks, and other oppressed communities. Ghada published an article in Politics last year and has been interviewed by numerous media outlets.
Eliza Peters
The names that she goes by are Kwiwks, Eliza, and Elizabeth. She is from Lil’wat Nation in what’s known as British Columbia, and is a mother of 3. She is a project manager with VIDEA working with their Climate Justice Team, a researcher with UBC Vancouver, a treasurer with our Lil’wat Nation Inherent Rights group, and a committee member for Lil’wat Health and Healing.
Richard Navarro
Ricardo founded the Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technology (CESTA) to address El Savador’s critical environmental and social needs. El Salvador’s protracted civil war hurt the environment to such an extent that it was once considered to be one of the most degraded countries in the western hemisphere. As president of CESTA—El Salvador’s largest environmental NGO—Navarro, an engineer by training, worked in partnership with urban and rural communities to provide technical assistance for an array of sustainable technologies.